maria gil ulldemolins

@MrPatatitaBrava told Mr @onafrica he should watch Black Mirror. So he did, and I joined him. We watched the first episode, ‘The National Anthem’ and I must say it’s just brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Charlie Brooker, you are one twisted genius bast*rd, sir:

If technology is a drug – and it does feel like a drug – then what, precisely, are the side-effects? This area – between delight and discomfort – is where Black Mirror, my new drama series, is set. The “black mirror” of the title is the one you’ll find on every wall, on every desk, in the palm of every hand: the cold, shiny screen of a TV, a monitor, a smartphone.

I see a lot of discussions around “media” and “social networks” and what can they possibly mean today. And nothing, nothing!, gets to the level of reflection of ‘The National Anthem’. The contrast between the virtual and the real (and the impossibility of their limits). It was so absurd, so horrifying, so crude, it was credible. My stomach wrenched: I cannot think of the last time a TV series made my stomach retract like that (and, as you know, I’ve watched the wire).

The premises of the story were pure meme-tastic and so drenched in Kate-ness. Perfect setting without actually copying anything. And let me just say, that the end was tied up beautifully, adding yet another dimension to the script.

And even more horrifying could be what the episode does not discuss. All the other possible narrative routes that remain unexplored, the most obvious one being whether all lives are worth the same.

Anyways. Stop reading this. Go watch it. Now.